Fur cutting machine



March 18, 1947. J. T. MAIGIS FUR CUTTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Filed July 23, 1945 James I? Max:171); BY V AT ORNEYS March 18 1947.

J. T. MAIGIS FUR CUTTING MACHINE Filed July 23, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR James T Maya? AT ORNEYS March 18, 1947. Y 1', lv ms s 2,417,771 I FUR CUTTING MACHINE A ORNEYSv Patented Mar. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES FUR CUTTING MAC James T. Maigis, Danbury, Conn, assignor to American Hatters and Furriers Company, Encorporated, Danbury, Conn, a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1945, Serial No. 606,537

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a tin cutting or shearing machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a fur cutting machine which is simple, practical, and thoroughly dependable. Another object is to provide a machine of the above character which will be sturly and well able to withstand hard usage. Another object is to provide a machine of the above character by means of which a maximum of skins may be sheared in a minimum of time. Another object is to provide a machine of the above character including new and improved mechanism for feeding the skins past the shearing knives. A further object is to provide a machine of the above character by means of which the guard hairs on the skins are uniformly sheared therefrom by the shearing.

knives. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts and in the several steps and relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others, all as will be illustratively described herein and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown two of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, the operators seat being diagrammatically illus trated;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine, the housing of the rotary cutter being sectioned for purposes of illustration;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a staggered section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a portion of the conveyor belt used in the modification of Figure 6; and,

Figure 6 is a vertical section similar to Figure 3 illustrating another embodiment of this invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In general, the skins are fed with the fur side up past a rotary cutter and are sheared; and, during the shearing operation, the skins are held so that the guard hairs extend individually away from the skin. The skins are fed on an endless belt arrangement to the shearing zone and there they are mounted upon a feeder roller which has a large number of outwardly projecting pins which are caused to pierce and hold the skins to the roller. After the shearing operation the skins are automatically stripped from the roller and are passed from the machine.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, a base 2| carries a pair of parallel supporting plates 2! and 28 (see also Figure 2). Near the bottom of base 2i (Figure 1) is a main drive shaft 22 (driven by a motor not shown) through which power is supplied to the various working units of the machine. The skins are fed into the machine at the right-hand end of plates 2'! and 28 in the direction of the arrow ill by an operater seated on seat ii. The skins pass horizontally to the left (see Figure 2) on a plurality of endless belts l2 the upper surfaces of the upper run of which are in a single plane. Belts l2 are supported at the right by a suitably grooved driving roller 29 and at the left by a feed roller [3 which is also grooved so that the top surfaces of the belts are flush with the peripheral surface of the roller. Extending over the right-hand ends of belts i2 and roller 29 is a guard till which protects the operator and assists in positioning the skins on the belts. Mounted mid-way between rollers 2 3 and i3 and positioned beneath the upper run of belts l2 so as to provide support for the belts is a driven roller 35]. Thus the skins are moved to the left along a flat bed.

The skins move on the belts side-by-side with the fur side up under a weighted pressing roller El :hich has a shaft 32. Roller 3| is carried at its ends by a pair of arms 33 and 3 which are pivoted respectively by pivot pins 35 and 36 on fixed brackets 37 and 38. In passing beneath roller 3 l, the skins are flattened, and immediately thereafter they pass beneath a driven spreader roller 39 which has two helical ridges 39a and 392) which extend outwardly from the center of the roller respectively toward the two ends thereof. Roller 39 is mounted at its ends in fixed bearings and is driven in a clockwise direction (Figure 1) so that its periphery moves in the same direction as the skins, and the helical ridges 39a and 39h tend to move at a slightly greater speed than the skins with the result that the skins are spread out and further flattened. After passing under spreader roller 39,. the skins pass successively beneath two additional driven presser rollers 49 and ti which further flatten the skins and hold them in position on belts l2.

Feeder roller it is provided between each belt i2 and the next belt with a circular row of sharp pointed mounting pins 2i the base of each of which is embedded in the roller; these pins pierce the skins and hold the skins in place on the roller during the shearing Operation. The skins are mounted on the pins due to the resilient pressure exerted by a weighted rotary brush it (see Figure 3) which presses against the top surface of the skins. Brush is is mounted at its ends (Figure 2) to rotate freely in a pair of arms 5i and 52 which are pivoted respectively in a pair of fixed brackets 53 and 5 5 by a pair of pivot pins 55 and 56.

At the right of roller l3 and positioned between the runs of the belts is a stripper roller 20 which rotates counterclockwise and is grooved in its periphery to provide for the passage of the belts, and which carries at each side of each belt a circular row of fingers is (see Figure 3). Fingers l9 are integral with roller 26 (see Figure l) and the fingers are so positioned with respect to pins 2i that the pins in each row are positioned axially between two rows of the fingers. Fingers 19 project (Figure 3) above and below the runs of belts i2 and as the skins pass from under roller the skins are raised up by the upwardly moving fingers 59; then, the skins move against brush M and are pushed down again at an angle toward pins 25 on roller 53. This action tends to lift brush it with the result that pins 2i pierce the skins evenly and in a dependable manner; and, the rotation of roller 53 combined with the pressure of brush itresults in the skins being pushed onto the pins up against the surface of roller 43.

At the left of roller 53 is a fixed horizontal bedknife it and cooperating with this bedknife is a rotary cutter i 5 which has a plurality of cutter blades i511. Cutter i5 is mounted (see Figure l) on a shaft 23 in a casing lSi and is driven in a clockwise direction at a high rate of speed by a pulley 25 on shaft 23, a belt 2 1, and a pulley 25 on shaft 22. As shown best in Figure 3, as the skins pass from the top of roller l3 downwardly toward bedknife N3, the skins have the curvature of the roller and thus the fur is shaped so that the individual hairs on the skin stand out radially with respect to the roller. Accordingly, as the skins pass bedknife l5, rotary cutter l5 shears off the ends of the guard hairs substantially along a straight line which is parallel to roller E3. The hairs fall from the cutter through casing I33 (Figure l) and are sucked out through a pipe l3ia by a blower (not shown). The spacing between the roller i3 and bedknife iii is such that,

the guard hairs are properly sheared without damage to the other hairs on the skin. However,

it should also be noted that the mounting of the 1 skins tightly against the surface of roller 3, prevents the skins from moving too close to the cutter.

At the bottom of roller l3 belts l2 tend to strip the skins from the roller and pass them onto an endless belt 32. Under some circumstances a skin may tend to remain engaged with pins 21 and ride up with roller 13 between two of the belts [2. When this occurs the skin is engaged and pushed down by the downwardly moving fingers l9 and is thus stripped free so that it falls onto belt 32. As shown in Figure l the skins move down belt 32 and fall onto a horizontal endless belt I33 which carries the skins to the right where they are moved upwardly; during the upward movement the skins are held by a cooperating endless belt 34. The skins are discharged at the top into a hopper 135.

As indicated above, cutter i5 is driven (see Figure 1) from shaft 22, and the other moving elements of the apparatus are also driven from this shaft. Accordingly, keyed to shaft 22 is a pulley to which drives a transfer pulley El through a belt 62. Transfer pulley Si, in turn, drives a pulley 64' in a counterclockwise direction through a cross-belt 65, and pulley 5 keyed to drive a pair of sprocket wheels he (see Figure 2), which drive sprocket wheels '6'! and 83 through sprocket chains es and ill. Sprocket wheel 68 is keyed to the shaft 162 of roller 2% and thus drives belts f 2, and sprocket wheel 6i is rotatably mounted on a stud shaft ii and is fixed to a similarly mounted gear 72. Gear 72 meshes with a gear 13 keyed to the shaft E03 of spreader roller 39 so that this roller is rotated in a clockwise direction. Shaft Hi3 also has keyed to it a sprocket wheel 75 which drives through a sprocket chain 16 a sprocket wheel '35 rotatably mounted on a shaft I04.

Shaft H54 also carries a sprocket wheel Tl which is fixed to rotate with sprocket wheel 15 and which drives through a sprocket chain 80 (see Figure 1) a pair of sprocket wheels 78 and I9 keyed respectively to the shafts Hi5, and Hit of rollers it and ii (see Figure 2). At the opposite end of shaft its is keyed a pulley it? which carries a belt IE8 and thereby drives 'a pulley H19 mounted on shaft 32 of presser roller 3i. The end of shaft i355 adjacent pulley it? has keyed to it a gear 8i which meshes with a gear 82 keyed to the shaft are of stripper roller 28. Rollers 3|, 4-5 and ii are thus driven in a clockwise direction (Figure 1) whereas stripper roller 29 is driven in a counterclockwise direction. Brush it is mounted for free rotation so that it is driven by contact with the skins.

In the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 the conveyor belts 12 are replaced by a single wide belt formed of a foraminous sheet or like material having perforations which mesh with the pins on the feeder roller. Accordingly, a conveyor belt 99' of wire mesh screen is formed by transverse wires 9 3 and longitudinal wires 95. Conveyor belt ill extends past a weighted brush 93 and around a feeder roller 9| which has pins 532 which project through the holes in the conveyor belt. The structure of the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 is otherwise the same as that of Figures 1 to 4, except that in Figures 5 and 6, no stripper roller 23 is provided. The skins are passed to the shearing zone on belt 9 3 and are mounted on feeder roller 9| by brush 83 which forces the skins onto the pins 92. The guard hairs on the skins are then sheared as in Figures 1 to 4 and the skins are stripped from roller 9! by conveyor belt 90. After being removed from the roller the skins are conveyed to a hopper as in Figures 1 to 4.

Thus, efiicient and practical mechanism has been shown for shearing the guard hairs from skins. The feeding roller elficiently presents the guard hairs for shearing to the rotary cutter and then the skins are stripped from the feeding roller. Thus, it will be seen that an efficient and practical machine has been disclosed for shearing the guard hairs from skins, and that the objects hereinabove mentioned as well as many others have been successfully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinabove set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for shearing the guard hairs from skins, the combination of, a shearing assembly adapted to shear the hairs substantially along a straight line, a feeder roller mounted adjacent said shearing assembly with its axis substantially parallel to and spaced from said line and having a plurality of sharp pins projecting radially outwardly from the peripheral surface of the roller, an endless belt extending around said feeder roller and having a horizontal run upon the upper surface of which skins are laid and passed to said shearing assembly with the pins projecting beyond the upper surface of the belt as the belt passes around the feeder roller, means mounted above said belt adjacent said feeder roller and substantially covering the area in which said pins start projecting beyond the upper surface of the belt whereby skins which are fed to said feeder roller on said belt are urged against said pins by said last-named means with the result that the pins pierce the skins and the skins are held from slipping with respect to the feeder roller during movement past said shearing assembly, and means to remove the skins from the belt after the skins pass said shearing assembly.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said means to remove the skins is in the form of a, driven roller positioned adjacent and parallel to said feeder roller between the upper and lower runs of said belt, said driven roller having outwardly proecting radial fingers the ends of which pass beyond the upper and lower runs of said belt.

3. In apparatus for shearing the guard hairs from skins, the combination of, a shearing assembly adapted to shear the hairs substantially along a straight line, a feeder roller mounted adjazent said shearing assembly with its axis substantially parallel and spaced from said line and having a plurality of sharp pins projecting radially outwardly from the peripheral surface of the roller, an endless belt extending around said feeding roller with a skin supporting upper surface beyond which said pins project, and means mounted above said belt above the zone where said pins are projected beyond said upper surface during feeding rotation of said feeder roller,

whereby skins which are fed to said feeder roller on said belt are urged against said pins and said pins pierce the skins with the result that the skins are held from slipping with respect to the feeder roller duuring movement past said shearing assembly.

4. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a cutter, a feeding roller, means for driving said feeding roller, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said roller in groups, each group comprising a plurality of pins spaced around said, roller in a radial plane and extending outwardly therefrom, a stripper roller, and means for driving said stripper rolle, said stripper roller having a plurality of radial groups of fingers r thereon, said fingers being in overlapped relationship with respect to said pins whereby when said rollers are driven said feeding roller presents skins to said cutter for shearing and said fingers strip skins from pins on said feeding roller after shearing has taken place.

5. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a cutter, a feeding roller, means for driving said feeding roller, a plurality of pins ex tending outwardly from said roller in groups, each group comprising a plurality of pins spaced around said roller in a radial plane and extending outwardly therefrom, a brush formounting skins on said pins, means for conveying skins to saidfeedin roller, a stripper roller, and means for driving said stripper roller, said stripper roller having a plurality of radial groups of fingers thereon, said fingers being in overlapped relationship with respect to said pins whereby when said rollers are driven said feeding roller presents skins to said cutter for shearing and said fingers strip skins from pins on said feeding roller after shearing has taken place.

6. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a rotary cutter, a, feeding roller, a plurality of pins extending radially from said feeding roller, a plurality of belts for driving said feeding roller and for feeding skins to said feeding roller, and a stripper roller, said stripper roller having a plurality of fingers thereon for stripping skins from said feeding roller after the fur on said skins has been sheared.

7. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a rotary cutter, a rotary feeding roller, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said feeding roller in a radial direction, a plurality of endless belts for driving said feeding roller and for feeding skins to said feeding roller, a brush mounted above said feeding roller for mounting skins on said pins, a stripper roller, means forming a plurality of fingers on said striper roller, and means for driving said stripper-roller in a direction to cause the fingers to strip said skins from said pins.

8. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a rotary cutter, a feeding roller, a plurality of pins extending outwardly in a radial direction from said feeding roller, a wire mesh screen in the form of an endless belt for feeding skins to said feeding roller, and means for shearing the fur on said skins when said skins are mounted on said feeding roller, said wire mesh screen stripping said skins from said pins on said feeding roller after the fur on said skins has been sheared by said cutter.

9. In a machine of the type described, in combination, a rotary cutter, a feeding roller, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said roller in a radial direction, an endless belt for driving said feeding roller, said endless belt being made of wire mesh screen to permit the pins on said feeding roller to pass through said endless belt, said endless belt forming means for feeding skins to said feeding roller, and brush means for mounting said skins on said pins on said feeding roller, said endless belt stripping said skins from said feeding roller after the fur on said skins has been sheared by said cutter.

10. In apparatus for shearing the guard hairs from skins, the combination of, a shearing assembly adapted to shear the hairs substantially along a straight line, a feeder roller mounted adjacent said shearing assembly with its axis substantially parallel and spaced from said line and having a plurality of sharp pins projecting radially outwardly from the peripherial surface of the roller, an endless belt extending around said feeder roller and formed of foraminous mate'- rial with openings through which said pins project whereby said belt rides on the peripherial surface of said roller, and a rotary brush riding on said belt above the zone where said pins are projected through said belt during feeding rotation of said feeder roller, whereby skins which are fed to said feeder roller on said belt are urged against said pins and said pins pierce the skins with the result that the skins are held from slipping with respect to the feeder roller during movement past said shearing assembly.

JAMES T. MAIGIS.

nernnenons CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date I-Iorstmann Aug. 20, 1929 

